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Description:
Like the dashing desperado in an old Hollywood Western, rhinestone-in-the-rough Gene Starwind is a self-proclaimed outlaw who lives by a personal code of ethics. His sphere of action is limited to the two-bit planet where he lives with his friend and business partner Jim Hawking, until rebel pirate "Hot Ice" Hilda arrives. She gives Jim and Gene the super-ship, the Outlaw Star, and tells them about a fabulous treasure hidden at the Galactic Leyline. The duo sets off, accompanied by beautiful assassin Suzuka, Malfina, an android who bonds with the ship's fussy computer, and, later, the abrasive alien Aisha Clanclan of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire. They face some nasty enemies: the Kei Pirates, the MacDougall brothers (Harry, a psychotic cyborg, and Ron, a sadistic human), and Lord Hazanko of the 108 Stars pirate gang. The expedition to the enigmatic planet Galactic Leyline becomes a four-way race that pits Gene and his crew against Hazanko, the MacDougals, and a Ctarl-Ctarl battle cruiser. At the Leyline, Gene, Malfina, and Suzuka confront the pasts that shaped their identities. Katsuhiko Chiba's screenplay sometimes staggers, like Gene the morning after a heavy night. But the characters remain true to their natures: they don't turn into smarmy good guys, and Outlaw Star delivers an engaging, if rather dark brand of comedy-adventure. The cleanup artists on the series do very sloppy work: Gene's features change noticeably from scene to scene. Rated 13 Up: Nudity, profanity, sexual humor, and violence. --Charles Solomon
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